I’ve coined the name “Miss Consistency” for Miss Stacy here for a reason. She is relentless. Ever since I met her at the end of last year she has pushed through adversity, injuries, and set backs. She has posted on Instagram daily to help keep her Venus sisters motivated. Her name there is Seriously.Stacy and yes that fits too!

If you are on Instagram and want motivation from a Venus sister who is the real deal, go follow Stacy @seriously.stacy there.

Kathy, Carey, Jen, Lisa, Stacy, Dewina, and Brenda are among the leaders helping others, and there are many more, ready walk aside any Venus lady who wants to come along.

They and many others have decided to start a mini challenge in the group where anyone who wants to participate or “Shadow” the next Venus contest will chip in for a final prize. You do not have to actually be in the Venus contest to join the mini challenge. Or you can do both. All anyone in the community wants is for you to WIN at this game of life. The VT19 winners participated in the group.

Women empowering other women. That’s how they do it.

Here is Stacy talking about her winning strategy at being consistent and her relentless mindset:

The Venus Transformation Contest VT19 is quickly approaching. Many of us are getting a head start with the Venus Workouts in a 12 week workout challenge starting this week. We will just roll into the new year getting done what needs to get done.

Ever wonder why the guys can do this so much easier?

One of the Venus ladies in the Workout Challenge group had a question about her son the other day. Her son Mikey needs to lose weight and is doing the Venus workouts with her (which is actually great for the guys too!). Anyway, she wanted to know her son’s maintenance calories so I ran them on the Adonis calculator.

Holy freakin maintenance calories! Maintenance Calories: 3145 cals. Can any of us even imagine!!! Notice that he can eat 1200 and it won’t hurt his hormones so much. Not fair!! At the same time, guys can binge too so if he does that bumping it up to anything under maintenance consistently is the WIN just like us females.

NOW, does anyone notice the room of margin for error for calories? THIS IS WHY I came up with the “Calorie tightrope” we walk. A serving of something here are there can make or break a deficit for us. A freakin DAY OF OUR MAINTENANCE can make or break the deficit for this 25 year young 6 foot 5 male. NOT FAIR!!! We can scream it to the mountain tops how unfair it is, but it will not take away the excess fat on your body. Knuckle down and roll up your sleeves if you want it!! DANG, Let’s do this anyway!

Venus Next Year (2017) Contest schedule:

VT19: January 16 to April 10

VT20: May 15 to August 7

VT21: August 28 to November 20

And this is where you signup once you get a Venus login (but only during the dates above) JOIN the CONTEST.

Lisa had a common struggle. That last 10 pounds or so. It seems so impossible, but really it’s just the slowest. This is where the rubber hits the road regarding trusting the process.

Many of you have a lot of weight to lose, that’s okay! The journey teaches you how to deal with the last 10 pounds for the rest of your life. For many the last 10 pounds is actually part of maintaining. But it’s the hardest part alone from just “getting started”. It is slow and the body weight scale is pretty much useless except for about checking about every 8 weeks or so.

Life happens, and you will repeat the cycle many times. That’s why it’s a lifestyle not a diet. That’s why it is important to learn sustainable practices.

I’ve had the absolute pleasure of watching Lisa on social media and learn the lifestyle, trust the process, and finally win her goal!

Here’s what Lisa has to say in her own words:

My experience with the Venus Factor System had been amazing! It has been what I’ve been looking for for so many years. My main objective when I joined the Venus Index Transformation contest was mainly to keep myself accountable. I knew deep down I needed to step out of my comfort zone (submitting pictures) to achieve my goals. I needed a proven program and I got that with the Venus Index system.

I started the Venus Index workouts hoping to lose those 10 pounds, lose inches, gain strength and self confidence. I really wanted to change the shape of my 54 year old physique that was heading in the direction I wasn’t fond of, lol!

Last year I had joined a local running club and committed to the Iron runner 15 race series. I focused totally on running and neglected the weight training. I made the mistake thinking I didn’t need to weight train anymore and that cardio was enough.

I learned that in fact I was really doing too much cardio and needed to get back to weight training.

The program has also taught me so much about nutrition. For example the amount of protein I needed blew my mind, I had no idea!

Lisa is pretty happy with her Venus life!

I learned that if you have the right tools and get your mind right you can achieve anything. Everyday does not have to be the same.

Nobody ever said it would be easy, but the plan is simple. Work it everyday, tweak it for you, never give up, trust the process!

I had to tell myself these things daily. I’m so happy to say I was able to achieve a 10.8 pound weight loss and a total of 9 inches overall. I’m also inside my ideal metrics, but at the high end. I’m a short person so the changes are slow and small.

I love the Venus Index system! I’m not quite where I want to be yet, but I know this program is one in which I can follow forever.

Most of the winners had no idea how far they came and some almost didn’t finish. So don’t let your own mind stop you from finishing. If you need some help deciding what to do please feel free to email me roberta.saum@gmail.com. You are not alone, although the process feels lonely sometimes.

Remember this is a lifestyle you want to keep. The contest is merely a stop along the tracks.

What we did for Easter

Even though my kids are 15 and 18, they still love hunting for candy filled eggs in the backyard. This year we had to have our hunt in the afternoon because we had just returned from a 4 day trip to Arizona to look at colleges. I had bought a couple bags of jelly beans in the grocery store Sat in AZ so I’d be ready to roll Sunday! The kids are super competitive and ran as fast as they could around my tiny yard to see who could get the most eggs! Funny and true.

How I planned for a crazy month of travel…

I traveled every weekend in March- mostly for soccer and the last weekend for college tours. This is a normal part of my life. Both my kids did(my son just stopped) competitive soccer which means lots of travel. This last month was all by car for soccer and by plane for the college stuff.

When I drive, I plan to take all my goodies to set myself up for success. This means my vitamix, baking cocoa, protein powder, powdered peanut butter, rice cakes, jerkey and apples. I also pack bars, dried fruit and rice chips/cereal for my girl. This way we will never be hangry and have the comfort of home in a hotel room.

I know it’s hard to travel- you never know where or when you’ll eat, what restaurant you will go to but you can control some of it. As a Venus girl, the hotel all you can eat breakfast buffet does not even appeal to me. And I’ve become such a coffee snob, I even bring my own coffee and French press!

Let’s face it- there are some non negotiables. I will not settle for hotel coffee. It gives me a headache. There’s always hot water, so I just use my French press. I’m not much of a breakfast person anymore thanks to Venus but do love my morning coffee.

One of my favorite drinks is protein powder blended with coffee after a workout. Great way to get your protein in and enjoy a delicious latte/mocha without all the added sugar you’d get at a coffee shop. If I can bring my vitamix, it’s great. If not, there are protein powders that stir into coffee that still taste pretty darn good. But Venus sisters, I’m telling you, if you’ve never tried this- you have got to do it! Blender, protein powder, hot coffee- blend for 20 seconds or so. It will be frothy and delicious.

Planning Workouts on the Road

I also try to plan my workouts when I know my kid’s schedule. With my daughter’s soccer team, we always drop the girls off an hour before the game for warm ups. That’s a perfect time to move. I was recently in Las Vegas for soccer and there was a huge walking path around the soccer complex. As well as a park. So I was able to get in 2 park workouts using a bench and some swings tabata style as well as get lots of steps in for the day.

What can you do with a bench you ask? Step ups, push ups, tricep dips, squats, Bulgarian split squats, planks bringing your knees to your elbows….. with the swings you can put your feet on the swing and do knee tucks or a pike, a modified pull up, a moving plank, a Bulgarian split squat, and the list goes on and on.

I know most moms stand around and talk. To be honest, after driving for 9 hours one way and knowing I had to drive 9 hours home, I wanted to move as much as possible. Even walking felt good. There was another mom on the team who was heading out for a run as we(my husband is a good sport and likes my crazy workouts) were starting our park workout. We were talking afterwards at the game. She commented that she heard a mom say, this season has just been so busy, she had gained 15 lbs. The gal I know took the words out of my mouth and said-just what I was thinking- hey, we’ve got an hour before every game- use it and move! The choice is yours.

This past weekend in Arizona, we stayed at a friend’s house. It was gorgeous weather and perfect for an outdoor workout. One day my husband and I found one bench and a super small hill- we ran mini sprints and did tabata for 25 minutes or so. The tabata timer is awesome and gives you a quick (but painful) workout anywhere. The following day, my daughter and I got to workout together. One of us ran down the road and back while the other did a strength move. I was just happy to be outside and moving and anytime I can workout with my girl, I am happy!

I’m certainly not perfect by any means. I overeat at times as well as enjoy the occasional adult beverage. But, I always feel best when my body is moving. Traveling is tough. It’s tiring and can lead to bad choices- I know this first hand. Being exhausted never leads to good food decisions. All we can do is our best.

Travel is just a part of life. Some trips go smoothly, some are just hard. Planning what you can is a huge help. As well as planning your workouts. There’s not always time, but when there is- make yourself and your health a priority. You will never regret a workout.

P.S.- Tabata is a workout where you work hard for 20 seconds and rest for 10 seconds for 8 rounds. The point is to try to get the same number of reps for each set. If you haven’t tried it, you can download a free timer on your phone and have some serious fun!

Kath got out of her health slump and is enjoying the Venus Golden Life now.

What is maintaining the Venus Ideal like?

Kath, like many of us, found that in some ways maintaining is harder than the initial fat loss. Changes in the body are very slow, it feels like it isn’t working sometimes, and people around don’t understand the need to stay disciplined with food in order to keep what you achieved.

She reached her goal and has maintained for two years now. She proved it can be done, and she is enjoying her health and living life to it’s fullest now.

Kath has new goals to set personal records with running now. It’s something she really enjoys with her husband and friends.

Kath absolutely loves the Venus workouts and they are great cross training for the running she loves.

Kath really struggled with getting this far after her battle with breast cancer. She is an amazing and strong woman who does not take her health for granted.

Meet Kath and listen to her story

If you have achieved your Venus goal and maintained for two years or more and have a story to tell, and want to share it to help others, feel free to email me.

I was thrilled to run into you at the store the other day. I’m sorry I didn’t have more time to visit with you…life can be so rushed with the holidays! So in this new year, I decided to sit down and write you a letter in a calm moment. I know you were surprised when you saw me. You said I looked great, asking me what I’ve been doing, and I told you that I’d started eating differently and working out more. It sounds simple. And actually, it is that simple. But it’s not necessarily been easy. However, you and I both know that rarely are the things that are worth having easy to attain.

Eating less? Is losing weight really that simple? Yes, it really is. I workout so my muscles can show through after I’ve kicked the fat to the curb. I do these things day in and day out. There’s no magic formula. And I don’t use exercise to offset eating too much. I exercise so my body is stronger and leaner and has definition.

Expectations have consequences

Really, though, of all the changes I’ve made the biggest one, it’s been in how I think. Along the way I realized something: Expectations have consequences. Have you ever noticed when someone has a certain expectation of you, you tend to live up to it?

I remember when I was a kid, my parents expected my sister and I to make dinner a few nights a week when they had to work late. Mom left all the ingredients in the fridge and the recipe that we would carefully read and follow. By the time our parents arrived home from work, we had dinner in the oven, ready to eat, with the table set. My sister was 10 and I was 6 years old. It was expected of us, so we did it.

It works the other way around, too. If someone has low expectations of you, you tend to live down to those. When it’s come to my body, I can say with a fair degree of certainty that I’ve carried pretty low expectations. I’ve expected I would always be overweight, and historically, I always have been. Expectations are pretty much a self-fulfilling prophecy.

When I found the Venus Index, I’d been looking for months for something, ANYTHING, to get me on the road to being healthier. When I read the materials, it was the simplicity of the program that constituted its brilliance. And it blew me away. The way in which the innovators of the program were able to take commonly pervasive health myths and categorically annihilate them also helped.

Whether you think you CAN or you CAN’T, you are RIGHT!

Henry Ford said, “Whether you think you can, or you think you can’t, you’re right.” When I dove into the program materials and then into the online community, I knew not only that I could reach my goals, but that I will. That’s a big claim. But I’m ok with that. Why? Because knowing I can makes me right.

You know probably better than anyone else the victories and failures I’ve lived. You know how much my history has made me who I am today. It’s the same for all of us, you know? I see it over and over with the incredible women I’ve met on Venus.

The histories of women, they are often histories that encompass loss. It is the condition of being human…losing children in a custody battle, losing loved ones to illness, losing a job…death, divorce, depression…bankruptcies, foreclosures, repossessions. These are women who were foster kids, adopted, abandoned. They are women who survived beatings. They are women who escaped with their lives. They are women who ran and never looked back.

But more importantly, they are women who came to Venus and learned how to be fighters. They fought for themselves. They gained a sense of worth. They learned how to trust their bodies. They learned they CAN.

The confident and passionate woman

I don’t mean to make it sound as though the women of Venus are all suffering! They aren’t. But you know me, I like understanding foundations. So in getting to know the bits and pieces of many of these women’s lives, it’s become apparent that we all carry something in our history that we could use to lower our expectation of success. We all have something that could hold us back if we let it.

But on Venus, I find the exact opposite! These are women, who in spite of current or past circumstances, they are vested in their own success. All of us have found on Venus we can do what we never thought we could before. Because of that, we are confident, and passionate about crusading a lifestyle that allows us to attain and maintain the healthy body we’ve always wanted.

So that’s the long answer to your question about what I’ve been doing. I do sincerely hope this letter finds you well! I miss our late nights, sipping tea and talking into the wee hours. Hugs to you, sweet lady! Here’s to 2016 and keeping our expectations and their consequences in the realm of “We can do it!”

Before announcing the winners, this post contains several sections you won’t want to miss;

VT15 Contest Winners

Additional VT15 Transformations

Cover Model Winners

Next years contest schedule

1st Place – Danell

“I took all the advice I could get from those ladies and applied them to myself. There would be NO EXCUSES, only work.”

2nd Place – Sandra

” I now KNOW, at the very young age of 50, that I will NEVER be overweight again! I AM the BEST I have ever been and I can’t wait to see what else I can do!”

3rd Place – Anne

“I felt like I had conquered the biggest obstacle… which is myself. This program works and it’s liberating to know that I will always have something that works. I proved it. I never have to try a fad diet again.”

4th Place – Andrea

“After trying more dieting approaches than I care to count, I’m excited that I’ve found a plan that works and that I can be successful at for the long term – while still living (and enjoying!) my life.”

5th Place – Kittery

“Thank you Venus, thank you to the Brad’s, thank you Coach Roberta, thank you to all of my Venus Sisters, and last, but certainly not least, thank you to my amazing husband for helping me become the person that can finally look in a mirror and say, I am proud of the way I look!”

6th Place – Holly

“After 12 weeks I have learned that I can eat whatever I want, no more being obsessive, just being aware of what is going in is enough. I have taken a full minute off my running pace and my knees are much happier these days.”

7th Place – Robin

“With the community of like-minded women, I have found friendships and support that will last a lifetime. I am truly humbled by their support and genuine love they have for one another. They uplift the fallen and cheer you on!”

8th Place – Char

“It fills me with joy to share it. It works. It works for me, with my moment to moment struggles, and it can work for anyone. We don’t have to settle. We can achieve. We can become. It is good, but it also gets better!”

9th Place – Donette

“I know I can do anything I put my new healthier mind to. Balloon ride, Whitewater rafting, zipline again this summer, hiking a 14ner in my new boots I earned just this week, they are on my short list. Who knows you just might see me running one of my girls on TV someday :)”

10th Place – Laura

“So many people whom I have watched doing other programs, seemed to balloon when they quit their programs. I am very happy that I am getting shapely, as well as a losing weight. I think it is in developing a body shape with muscle that determines the great results.”

Additional Transformations

These were just too good to leave out. Each one of these ladies WON. They are still welcome to enter next years contests for the top 10 places.

The thing I’ve noticed when talking to these ladies that is really important for you to know; YOU DON’T REALIZE YOU HAVE TRANSFORMED when you are in the process. Several of the ladies in the top 10 thought they were FAILING at the process. They didn’t think they were good enough. But they WERE GOOD ENOUGH!

You see, it happens so slow. There is nothing glamorous about it happening. In fact you make mistakes and you don’t always keep on track with food. You miss some workouts here and there. BUT YOU STILL WIN.

We are all merely human. We are not machines. But sometimes you won’t know how you are doing unless you have someone who knows the process helping and watching. Many people who could have won one of these contests didn’t think they did good enough, so they didn’t finish. The fact of the matter is that most of us don’t really know what we’ve achieved. I didn’t know either. I had no idea.

So we want you to see all these brave women that finished, and won at the game of life. And the journey does continue for all of us.

Since the journey continues, we will be happy to share their stories NOW, interview them, and then there WILL BE MORE TO THE STORY later if they choose to win again in the top 10 for future contests.

The stories always continue for life. You never actually “get there”, you reach a goal and then you keep going, because this is a lifestyle, not just a 12 week contest.

Kimberly

“The Venus system has given me the tools I needed to finally lose the weight that long distance running could not achieve. The podcast are filled with valuable information along with encouraging interviews with past winners.”

Christine

“The only person that could change that was me. I needed a program that I could actually follow and still live my life with my family. Venus was my answer and I am so happy.”

Brenda

“I decided to check in with the forum and it became apparent the Veteran Venus’ would not let the meds be an excuse, and it appeared nutrition was the key. So I decided to put Venus to the test, this time trying the nutrition and weight lifting together. Low and behold the last year of weight gain was taken off in these 12 weeks, and my clothes fit again!”

Cindy

“I am super happy with my results my I”m not ready for maintenance yet. I can still improve! One of the main reasons that I first bought Venus is because I saw Roberta and her amazing body and transformation. She was my age and had muscle! That made me realize that I can still build muscle at my age. Boom!”

Heather

“I love, love, love John and Brad’s podcasts. I listened to them whenever I could. They blasted away every myth I grew up believing, every misconception that I had adopted just because a fitness professional said it and I was finally able to break away from all the bad information that I had stored in my head and replaced with the facts that John and Brad’s research had taught me.”

Tricia

“I think the thing that really helped me with this part was that the whole program came out of John’s love for his sister. This is not a program designed to beat women down and make them feel inadequate. This is a program designed to help you know how beautiful you are.”

Laura

“I am delighted to have improved my body to where I feel stronger and more energetic. I can even say focus is better. I have received several compliments and am motivated to keep going in order to shred, shape and tone even more!”

Tara

“The ever changing workouts keep me from getting bored and help me to feel my progress in strength. This is so MOTIVATING!! I’m proud of my accomplishments over the past 12 weeks and can’t wait to continue along this journey.”

Cover Models

Anyone can enter the cover model contest, as many times as they want. It’s a fun way to shadow the contest and get creative with photos. Everyone has their own style.

In order for the cover designers to use your pictures you will need to send me a link to the high resolution pictures.

Erin

Anne

Danell

Sandra

Christine

Kittery

Congratulations to all the winners! What beautiful pictures. What hard work. It all paid off.

And the journey continues.

We will be contacting all of these ladies to see if they want to share their story and possibly do an interview.

How does a Venus feed her soul?

Saturday was a hibernation day. I wanted to go nowhere, eat comfort food, and be with my boys. I did just that, cancelled my dinner date and the boys and I hiked some of the property hills. The fresh air, sunshine, and cardio exercise was exactly what I needed to recharge my spiritual batteries.

Food for the soul was what I really needed. How many times have I fed my body instead my soul?

This is a sobering question for me and one I’ve never asked myself. I eat healthy food that I prepare myself. I avoid excessive alcohol and caffeine. I workout because it helps ease my stiffness and aches.

All of these I do for my body, but what am I doing for my soul?

I spend hours researching topics to answer someone’s questions. I answer them at all hours. I stop what I’m doing to pick a friend up and drive them home because they need it. It’s amazing the things that I’ll do because I don’t want to disappoint others, but what am I doing for my soul?

One could argue that all of these things that I do are for me therefore it stands to reason that, ultimately, my soul benefits. This is an incomplete assessment. I am not feeding my soul with these tasks; I’m satisfying my ego. There is some spiritual benefit so I will continue to help others, but it’s time to focus on helping myself.

Starting today I will challenge myself to feed my soul. When I feel that urge to eat something that I don’t need I will ask myself, “am I trying to satisfy my spiritual hunger with food?” I will feed my soul before I feed my body. I know what real hunger feels like, that hollow, growling sensation in my stomach. The urge to snack is not physical hunger. It’s a symptom that is best treated with spiritual food. Meditation, soaking in the sunlight, breathing fresh air, walking, just being present in the moment and taking it all in. These acts feed my soul.

I was just doing my thing and Coach Miles hey you are ready, you should do this!

It’s just the lifestyle.

I didn’t push hard and crash. See that’s the trick, you don’t have to push until you crash. You learn to live it. Sure you can dose out the hard push a few weeks. Back off, then push again. In a sustainable manner.

All the insane crashing and rebounding does not have to happen. But it might for a few as they learn, that’s okay too.

It’s like when you save your pennies in a piggy bank as a kid. Day after day you drop the penny in. It’s hard to imagine you will get something for that someday.

But then suddenly you check one day and it’s full.

You spend it, and fill it again, or you save it and start filling up a new piggy bank.

Either way you keep going.

And so it goes for life.

You never actually really get “there”.

You achieve milestones, then you keep going.

You stop and smell the roses, or watch the beautiful deer, or hug your loved ones and enjoy some feasts and maybe a little fine wine if you are so inclined.

But then you motor on again.

Embracing the nitty-gritty of life.

Because THAT is where the MAGIC happens my friends.

I’m not a special breed. I’m just a lady who lives in the mountains, living in the day-to-day, embracing life and the nitty-gritty.